Referring to FIG. 1, top-mounted T-shaped charging handle 2 is standard feature of M-16 and Armalite style rifles (ARs). When the charging handle 2 is pulled back towards the butstock, the operator of the firearm can eject a spent shell casing or an unfired cartridge from a chamber, load a round from the magazine, clear a jam or misfire, move a bolt into battery, and/or release a bolt locked to the rear. However, to accomplish any of these tasks, the operator of the firearm must tilt the firearm towards the ground and away from the intended target to get the leverage necessary to operate the charging handle 2.
There needs to be a better way of performing these tasks without forcing the operator of the firearm to move the firearm away from the intended target.
In the following description, like reference numbers are used to identify like elements. Furthermore, the drawings are intended to illustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a diagrammatic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of every implementation nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale.